Purpose & Objective of Manual:

The purpose and objective of this article is to pass on to emerging leaders in Network Marketing, the values, principles, strategies, and techniques that lead to a duplicating and prosperous business. True residual income through the industry has to include the duplication of key leadership, which is the focus of this manual. These insights are applicable to any Christian Leadership development, but in particular the network marketing industry.

Introduction:

There will be several lessons in this manual. Each one will contain some wisdom and insight to the process of identifying, qualifying, training and coaching, and empowering developing leaders.

Some of the foundational principles in this work will be biblically based. Although all reading this may not embrace Christianity as their faith, no one could deny that Jesus Christ was the most influential leader that ever walked the face of the planet. When we relate some of the modeling we believe is necessary for duplicating leadership, accept the proven methodology, even if you don’t embrace the religion. There are two main scriptural patterns and directives which much of these lessons derive their impetus:

#1. “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier. II Timothy 2: 2-3a

There is a qualification process to be a leader. We will reveal specifically about how to identify and qualify someone for key leadership within your organization.

#2. “He took the twelve disciples aside and said to them.” Matthew 20:17

Jesus’ method of leadership was to pour his life primarily into a small group of “disciples.” His pattern was to spend most of his time with the 12 disciples. It is also apparent in his leadership style that he was closest to 3 of them. In our culture you would say he had 3 of them as his best friends. There is also evidence that he had another larger circle of leaders that included 120 people. This pattern of duplicating leadership will be foundational in the lessons in this manual. This pattern has been used successfully through the ages and has been termed “Master Mind” in recent years.

By identifying, qualifying, training and coaching, and empowering developing leaders, you will ensure a long lasting, profitable, and enjoyable career in Network Marketing. But before we embark on this process, lets take a moment to be sure we are ready for this journey . . .

I was asked once by a wise man: “What does it takes to be a leader?” There were many of us giving answers: Good character. Ethics. Wisdom. Compassion. Skill. The list grew longer and longer. These are all good answers and I was having a hard time with the instructor saying we hadn’t gotten the answer right yet. He finally let us know when we had exhausted all our possible guesses – and I agreed with completely with his answer: The only pure answer is: Followers.

Let that sink in a little. There have been great leaders through the ages with terrible character, ethics, etc. Hitler, Stalin, etc. There have also been great men and women with incredible wisdom, etc but never achieved great leadership in their lifetime.

What does that have to do with you and your Network Marketing? Before you set out on the process of cultivating key leadership in your organization, be sure you have some of the elements necessary to attract followers:

A. Lead by example. The leadership principle that is true in any arena is also true here. To be a respected and followed leader, you must lead by example. It is doubly true in organizations where your followers are volunteers. Never ask someone to do something you aren’t doing or haven’t done on your pathway to success.

B. Be in consistent and systemized action. Many leaders get to their position by chance in our industry. They happen to sponsor someone that develops a strong team under them. To be a true leader in NWM though you must have your own proven methodology that can be passed on to other leaders. Although your true leaders will take that and tweek it and make it their own, there must be a systemized plan in your organization. Not having proven and market tested methods, or jumping from one “good idea” to the next does not lend itself to true leadership, and can be abusive to your leaders and downline.

C. Share your values. The main “glue” that will hold your key people in your organization together is values. By sharing your values you will attract those of a kindred spirit and cultivate meaningful working relationships. This is a relationship building business!

D. Give to your organization. Another biblical leadership principle is to give, “Give and it shall be given back to you . ” Even Jesus said: “I did not come to be served, but to serve.” When you give of yourself, your time, your energy, and your resources to assist your organization to be successful, you can’t help but find success yourself.

E. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier. ” Building any business to a high level is tough work. Handling pressure and disappointments is part of the territory. You must have an overall positive disposition. When you get “squeezed” – what is inside comes out! If you are less than positive – even under duress, then be aware and work on this area of your character.

F. Have passion. This characteristic is necessary for significant success in anything. A must read for NWM leaders is Napoleon Hill’s work: Think and Grow Rich. He talks about the “burning desire” and the goal setting steps to create something from that desire. I like to compare what Hill did to what scientists do. Scientists study and discover the great secrets of life and the universe. There are principles and designs that are simply amazing. Napoleon Hill discovered many of the principles that create wealth. The only negative of the book, like many science books, is that he writes from a humanistic point of view and doesn’t give God credit for the design.

Movie Time! – Patton

One of my favorite movies! Patton is filled with passion. There is a great scene where he is in trouble again with his authorities and he gives a monologue on how this challenge must be part of his journey because he knows he has a destiny to fulfill!

Once you begin on your NWM journey with these elements, you can’t help but attract some followers. Out of this group of people that are being attracted to work with you, or already are working with you, will come the KEY leaders you are looking for to create your KEY leadership team – this will be the focus of the manual.

For the sake of this document, we will use the term “leader” to mean the core group of people that will become part of your KEY leadership group, or the Master Mind group you will lead. (In Jesus’ model – the disciple’s group.) There will always be a growing group of leaders beyond this “inner circle” – like the group of 120. We will focus on building the KEY leadership group in this document.

Here is a quick check list for the process of building your Key Leadership (Master Mind) group:

1. Identify potential Leaders.

A. Faithfulness

B. Able to teach.

2. Qualify potential Leaders

A. Time

B. Money

C. Desire

D. Team Player

E. Personality

3. Getting a Commitment

A. Benefits to Them

B. Requirements of Them

C. Group Parameters.

4. Training and Coaching your Key Leaders.

A. Foundational Training.

B. On-going Training.

5. Empowering your Key Leaders.

Lesson 1: Identifying Leaders

Part of a quote earlier in this document read: “Entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” When looking for potential leaders, there are TWO key characteristics to look for. Remember also that the root word of “characteristics” is CHARACTER. Character does matter in life and those you will closely work with. The character quality emphasized here for the choosing of leaders is reliable – or FAITHFULNESS. The other characteristic is the quality of being able to teach, which we will cover later.

A. Faithfulness: “steadfast in affection or allegiance – firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty.”

When looking for a leader, establish evidence that they are reliable. Do they do what they say they are going to do? Do they take responsibility for their actions? Are they self motivated, or do they need constant encouragement? Do they quickly deviate from, or neglect the established methods your team uses?

These patterns will quickly reveal the “faithfulness” of a person.

Although not as important, another element of selection to be considered is: Is this person faithful to YOU?

Many network marketers are looking for the “magic” company or the magic lead source. Have they jumped around a lot? Do you feel they are committed to you on your journey?

Once you have identified someone whom you deem to be faithful, giving them a “test” or two – without them knowing it, is also a wise thing to do. An example might be as simple as having them send you tracking reports, or being available at a certain time for a three-way phone call?

Regular attendance of training calls, or progressing through the SBI Action Guide to put up a website, is a great test of faithfulness in a person’s character and business. Anyone who regularly attends training calls and/or gets their website up has proven a good level of this characteristic.

B. Able to teach others. This characteristic you are looking for in potential leaders is a bit more subjective. Bottom line is that there are some very faithful people that simply don’t have what it takes to lead others in a significant way – at least enough to be one of your KEY people.

The most tangible evidence of this quality is if they are instructing people now, or have done so in the past. Someone who hasn’t recruited anyone or had any duplication in their organization may not be a candidate, regardless of how faithful they are. You can also look to their previous experiences in looking for this quality. Someone that has had success in training others in another industry or venue can learn to apply it in NWM also.

In addition to this, you will have to discern their voice and posture levels. This is subjective, BUT leadership will demand a higher level in these areas then simply recruiting does. Some people can recruit, but will need to depend upon their company, system, and upline to do the actually leading. This type of person simply isn’t the one you want and need for your KEY leadership. They must have a higher level of confidence and clarity in their phone presence than the average rep.

Another clue to their ability to teach others is their own desire to learn and be taught. Great leaders are always learning and growing themselves. Again – not all great students make good teachers, but all great teachers are good students.

These guidelines will help you “spot” potential leaders. Once you have spotted them, you can take it to the next level and start the qualification process. But DON’T ASK ANYONE YET!

Lesson 2: Qualifying Leaders

It is very important to do some qualifying BEFORE the person knows you are considering them for your KEY leadership team. When someone knows they are being considered they may perform at a higher than normal level to impress you, but it won’t be coming from their true inner core and will be short lived.

Some of the same things that you would qualify a prospect for, are the same things that you want to be doubly sure of in qualifying a KEY leader:

a. Time. Be sure they have the time to devote to the business. Besides the time necessary to grow their team and lead by examples, they will need extra time to devote to the new leadership aspect of their business.

b. Money. Be sure to qualify on money. In addition to the all important marketing budget, they may need extra resources so they can assist their team – lead generation, training resources, awards, etc.

c. Desire. The WHY? Factor. Revisit this vital well of energy and determination. It takes an on-going, never fading WHY to take a NWM business to a higher level.

Take the time to have a conversation with them regarding these items before you tell them you are considering them to be part of your KEY leadership team. Hopefully any leader has a heart for the “underdog,” but don’t let your compassion cloud your vision in selecting a Key Leader. You can “fudge” on some of these when you are recruiting a distributor, but you are doing a disservice to the person, yourself, and the other leaders, if you overlook any of these 3 items in selecting a KEY leader.

You may want to get input from other team mates on what they think of the person. Be careful – don’t gossip or create suspicion. The best ones to ask are those already in a leadership role in your organization.

Other qualifiers to seriously consider are:

A. Are they a “team” player? Remember that most of your KEY leadership will be cross-line to each other. Some people are interested in assisting others only if there is a direct financial benefit to them. Do they demonstrate a desire to help anyone, even those crossline to themselves? To analyze in a humorous way: “Do they play well with others?”

Things like bad temperament, quick anger fits, prejudice, and other traits can thwart the synergy and community you must create with your KEY leadership group.

Another component of being a team player is that they are basically using the tools and system that you are using to build. For a couple of examples, WorksTeam leaders use a contact manager (most with Windows use ACT), and internet marketing methods taught in the Renegade Marketer. Make sure they are fairly proficient with most of the tools utilized before asking them to a Key Leadership position.

B. Do you like them? This may seem like a strange question, but think about it. This person could very well become one of your best friends and vacation buddies in the years to come as you create wealth together. Even Jesus “liked” three of the disciples more than the other nine. How personalities line up does make a difference.

Lesson 3: Getting a Commitment from Leaders

Finally! You have someone you are excited about asking into your inner circle. Now that you have identified and qualified your prospect, it is time to ask them! Some things to consider here as you take this step:

A. It is easier to ask someone to join, than to ask them to leave! There is always the element of taking a risk that can not be avoided, but this is a good thing to consider. Make sure you go over the parameters and commitments you expect with them when you ask them to your Key Leadership group. This will help you if a Key leader stops performing and you need to ask them to step down from the group.

Story Time! – Lessons in Leadership

I had a good leader and friend in our Master Mind group. Gradually his activity level decreased and he started to miss our meetings. To make a long story short, when I finally got a hold of him he said he wasn’t going to work his business for a while, but wanted to stay in the master mind group. I tried to sympathize with his challenges, but said that he would need to step down from the group since he wasn’t fulfilling his obligations. He took it VERY hard, much to my surprise. You will become close to those in your Key Leadership group, but keep this clear in your mind: Great friendships are formed out of working together – but your leadership group is for WORK, with the fruit and side benefit of being great friends – not the other way around.

It is important to delineate clear parameters when getting a commitment, and to hold a Key Leader to that commitment if it would ever start to waver.

B. Why would they want to join your Key leadership group? – Be sure to list the benefits to them for joining your Key leadership group. Be prepared and have written out, at least in outline form, the benefits to them in joining and the commitment you are asking of them.

Here is an example – but the following is just an example of the benefits and commitments of what YOUR group MAY be like:

Benefits:

1. You will personally prioritize them in your time and attention to assist them in building their business.

2. They benefit directly from the power of the Master Mind.

(Have them read Think and Grow Rich if they haven’t already.)

3. You will be sharing everything you know with them.

“Joe, if you decide this group is right for you, I want you to know that I plan on HIGHLY prioritizing my time and energy to ensure your success. I will be work closely with you and assist you in applying the power of master minding to your business.”

4. When appropriate, you will not only be building with them, but may be building under them through sharing of leads, prospects, and placing people under them.

Commitment:

1. All the requirements of an active business builder in chosen business.

2. Weekly one hour MM call with you and the Key Leadership group.

3. Committed to any training call your Key Leadership group hosts.

4. Personally accountable to YOU for not only stats, but also their life in general so you can know what outside forces/challenges may be affecting their business (marriage, kids, job, etc.)

Ensure that your requirements and benefits are basically the same for everyone that you ask to the group. Perceptions of playing favorites can lead to jealousy and cause a cancer in the group.

C. Group Parameters. Another aspect is to determine the definition of the group the best you can BEFORE you ask anyone to join it. The more specific you can be the better.

*How many participants will you have in the group?

*When will the group officially be launched?

*How long of a commitment are you asking for?

*Who else is already in the group or been asked?

“Joe, I am forming an exclusive and elite Leadership group, by April 15th I will have selected 7 others and myself for this Key Leadership group of 8. I would like to consider you to be a part. I am asking for a solid commitment through the rest of the year.”

When you ask them be sure to give them sincere compliments. Make them feel special (because they are!) to be invited into this elite and exclusive group. Don’t push for or expect an answer right then – give them a couple days to think about it. This lets them know you are taking this VERY seriously and that you want them to also! You may have been thinking about them in this context possibly for months, so give them some time. Pulling all this together, when you ask them, it may sound something like this:

“Joe, you have really gotten my attention over the past few weeks. Your zeal, creativity and energy is awesome. I would count it a privilege to work more closely with you. I am forming an exclusive and elite Leadership group, by April 15th I will have selected 7 others and myself for this Key Leadership group of 8. I would like to consider you to be a part. I am asking for a solid commitment through the rest of the year. Besides what you are already doing, we will be meeting 1 hour per week as a group, and there may be some additional work we will do together to benefit the team. Joe, if you decide this group is right for you, I want you to know that I plan on HIGHLY prioritizing my time and energy to ensure your success. I will work closely with you and assist you in applying the power of master minding to your business. This has been a Key ingredient in my success, and I want to share it with you.”

Lesson 4: Training & Coaching Leaders

A crucial thing to remember is that this group, YOUR group, is also THEIR group. You are a leader among peers. These people are special or you wouldn’t have asked them. Everyone has talents or strengths that you don’t have, and visa versa. It is important to lead, but to treat them as equals and give plenty of room for them to stretch their leadership skills.

Not all leaders can handle having other strong leaders around, or handle the true Master Mind environment of “peers” – even some good leaders feel they must always be the official “trainer” or “coach.”

There are different leadership models and styles, but the one that creates the strongest leaders are those people who can handle and enjoy having other strong leaders around them. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table come to mind – but we won’t have another Movie Time now!

All of us need foundational and on-going training. You and your Key Leaders are no exception. Here are some more examples of what some of that might look like:

A. Existing foundational training:

1. Renegade Marketing System

2. New Conceptual Selling by Stephen Heimann

3. SiteBuildIt!

4. Ensure they are getting in on any on-going training the companies you are working have.

B. On-going training:

1. Role Playing & Walk Throughs. If your key leaders are not sponsoring at a good level consistently, offer to do roll playing with them and possibly another leader to help sharpen their skills.

2. Some of your key leaders may need weekly coaching in the transition from being just a rep to a Key Leader in your organization. If you don’t have the time or skills to do this, go to your upline for this need.

3. Involve them in 3-way phone calls with your work. Maybe just to listen to you make calls or do a consultation. Maybe include them in a coaching session with someone in your organization. Always be thinking in everything you do in your business how you can include your Key Leaders as a part to “kill two birds with one stone.”

4. Assist them in recognizing and working on building with their strengths. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Great leaders concentrate more on building on their strengths than trying to improve the areas of weakness. Both are necessary, but lead with YOUR strength and show them how to do the same.

Sharing quality business, marketing or inspirational books you have read. Readers lead and Leaders Read!

Lesson 5: Empowering Leaders

It is very rewarding to see your Key Leaders grow and find success. Just like a parent, a true leader will be excited when a Key Leader passes them up in success or skill in any area. Here are some tips and elements to bring to the MM group that will empower your Key Leaders:

1. Restate and resell the vision over & over again. Remind your Key Leaders often of the vision and THEIR vision.

2. Keep them accountable. Ultimately you want your leaders to be accountable to themselves, but the transition from employee to self-employed may be challenges for many of your leaders. Although not one of us want another boss, human nature is still what it is. “People will do what is inspected, not expected.” So often you will need to hold them accountable to lead by example – tracking sheets, monthly benchmarks, awards they should be getting, etc.

Story Time! – Lessons in Leadership

When I was pastoring the church we had founded, I had a couple of men in my inner circle that were very different from each other. Ralph was vocal, aggressive, type A, etc. He was an eye doctor I was grooming to take over my position. George was quiet with a meek personality. Through my relationships with them I learned about pride and humility. If one million people would meet them and I asked them to guess which one had pride and made team work difficult, I am convinced no one would have picked George. Here is a key to working with Leaders: Personality type has little to do with Character. George was the most prideful key leader I have ever worked with. Ralph was very humble. In conflict and difficult times George NEVER assumed responsibility or would reciprocate asking for forgiveness. Ralph always did. Lesson? Don’t assume your aggressive leaders are prideful, and don’t assume your “sweet” or “nice” ones are good team players simply based on their temperament or personality type. It is character that matters in leadership, and flawed character that can spoil the community and synergy you need to create.

3. Create Community. Those in your Key Leadership group should have regular attendance to your weekly call together. This ongoing communication will create camaraderie and friendship. Develop trust and communication. Encourage them to always reach out not only to you, but to each other. Have a group email for only them. Make sure you have them on MSN IM and connect with them on a regular basis. Remind them that you appreciate them being a part of your ELITE and EXCLUSIVE key leadership group. Both in the group setting and throughout the week – just be with them. Another quote I like: “Rejoice with those who Rejoice – Weep with those who Weep.“

4. Give Awards and Recognition. People love winners and love to be winners. Celebrate the BIG and little achievements with them. Publicly praise them whenever it is appropriate. Everyone enjoys recognition, especially in front of their peers or organization.

5. Share “inside” information. Take the chance to share “inside” information that you may know. Obviously you don’t want to break confidence with someone, but if you know something about the company, or future plans that the field doesn’t know – share it with your Key Leaders! They have a huge interest in the future plans, just as you do. Trust them and they will trust you.

6. Give them TEAM responsibility. Your MM group will be discussing and sharing challenges that will be in your organization. Help your KEY leaders be a part of the solution. Let them know you want them to participate and offer their input. When your Key leadership comes up with plans to assist the organization, have them participate. Examples would be to have them host or assist in the training that your team provides; or have them draft or edit documents that will be for the organization, etc. Ask them to S-T-R-E-T-C-H past their comfort zones.

7. Be successful. The best thing you can do for your Key Leaders is to be successful yourself. When they see you ahead of them on the journey, it lets them know what is possible and doable. “If Curt can do it, I can do it!”

I heard the following somewhere and really liked it. Here is what your Key Leaders are looking for:

Something to Believe in.

Someone to Believe in.

Someone to Believe in THEM!

You are that person to communicate with your KEY leader that you believe in them. NO HYPE. Sincere and meaningful encouragement to stretch them farther than they think they can go – like a good athletic coach.

Conclusion: I am convinced that there is something to the “Law of Attraction.” Simply putting your concentration and efforts in the direction of identifying, qualifying, training and coaching, and empowering developing leaders – – – then LEADERS will start to appear in your organization! Since I started out with a spiritual note, I guess I will end in one. I don’t believe in luck or coincidence. We have a destiny to fulfill, and that destiny includes comrades for our journey. Our dreams are intertwined with others’ dreams and aspirations. Pray that the Lord will give you the journey mates He desires for you. Ask him to send them your way and to give you favor as you work together.